Gibson Custom Shop
Historic Makeovers Aged '57 Les Paul Goldtop w/ Wizz Vintage Wire PAFs #73226
PLEASE NOTE - UK ONLY
Totally stunning! Gibson Custom Shop R7, Historic Makeovers and Wizz Vintage Wire PAFs
So, here we have a very special instrument indeed! A 2013 Gibson Custom Shop R7 57 Les Paul, with a difference. The starting point is a lightweight (8lb 8oz) '2013 new Spec' Custom Shop R7, so long tenon neck, hide glue, etc. These 2013/14 guitars are always excellent in their own right. This guitar was then sent to Kim Lafleur’s Historic Makeovers (as used by Joe Bonamassa and others) in the US and treated to the Deluxe Makeover package. This includes:
- Top re-carve to vintage spec
- Reshape the neck to vintage “C” shape
- Use hot hide glue to install a Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard with correct binding ledge and inlay routs.
- Inlay the fingerboard with Historic Makeover’s exclusive 1950’s style cellulose nitrate inlays and install frets.
- New vintage correct nylon nut
- The fingerboard and guitar body are bound with Royalite binding and the fingerboard binding edges are rolled.
- Complete refinish of the guitar with aniline dyes and unplasticized nitro-cellulose lacquer in vintage correct gold finish.
- Vintage patina weather-checking and aging.
- Original serial number re-stamped in correct 50’s typeface.
The Historic Makeovers Deluxe package costs $4,400.
However, we are not done there. The guitar is fitted with a set of Wizz “vintage wire” PAF clone pickups. These were part of a very limited, numbered run of 100% vintage correct PAF clones, hand wound using vintage 1950s wire. This is set #19, with the neck pickup measuring 7.6k ohms and the bridge 8.1k ohms. Both pickups use USA made sand cast Alnico 4 magnets. On the rare occasion these pickups come up for sale, they have sold for £1,000 plus. The pickups also have Throbak aged nickel covers – these are the most accurate covers you can get and cost $180 on their own.
The guitar also comes with an amazingly accurate set of hand aged Terry Morgan knobs and a “vintage” 1980s Tim Shaw era Gibson case (which is quite sought after in its own right).
Overall, this is a stunning looking, feeling, playing and most importantly, sounding Les Paul. It is excellent condition, with no marks over and above the Historic Makeovers ageing and no fret wear. We were lucky enough to try it back to back with an original, and there wasn’t much in it!
Comes with all of the original Gibson paperwork, tags and certificate, plus the Historic Makeovers and Wizz Pickups certificates.
Due to the nature of the wood, UK ONLY.
Please note... The UK's 20% VAT CANNOT be deducted for customers outside the UK or VAT registered musical related companies on this item.
